Britannia Awards: Betty White

Though many have come to portray this Year of Betty White as a comeback story or stunning resurgence, the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award honoree for excellence in comedy had never really gone away.

It’s true that “Hot in Cleveland” gave White her first primetime series regular role in a decade, and the campaign that led to her Emmy-winning hosting of “Saturday Night Live” served as an unofficial coronation. But White has long outwitted the fates that tend to cast aside older thesps, which helps explain why SAG gave her a lifetime achievement award in January, before the Year of Betty took flight.

White has guested on more than a dozen primetime series in the past decade, including 16 times on “Boston Legal,” one of three shows since 2000 to earn her a Primetime Emmy nom. Her 20-plus appearances on soap “The Bold and the Beautiful” began in 2006. In short, the Year of Betty White has been less revival than recognition for an entertainment mainstay for more than 60 years.